A new thrombolytic agent for use in patients with myocardial infarction (MI) will soon be available in Europe. Boehringer Mannheim's reteplase, a molecule genetically engineered from human tissue plasminogen activator, was approved in August by the European Medicines Evaluation Agency (EMEA) for use in all European Union countries as a thrombolytic agent for the treatment of acute MI. The Heidelberg symposium, ‘Update in Thrombolysis 1996’ [Heidelberg, Germany; September 1996] provided an opportunity for cardiologists to gauge current thinking on the clinical utility of this agent.